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burst Definition

burst (bʉrst)

intransitive verb burst, burst·ing

  1. to come apart suddenly and violently, as from internal pressure; fly into pieces; break open or out; explode
  2. to give sudden expression to some feeling; break (into tears, laughter, a tirade, etc.)
  3. to go, come, start, appear, etc. suddenly and with force he burst into the room
    1. to be as full, crowded, or packed as possible
    2. to be filled (with anger, pride, energy, etc.)

Etymology: ME bresten, bersten < OE berstan & ON bresta, both < IE base *bhres-, to burst, break, crack

transitive verb

  1. to cause to burst; make explode
  2. to fill or cause to swell to the bursting point

noun

  1. the act of bursting; explosion, as of an artillery shell
  2. the result of a bursting; break; rupture
  3. a sudden, violent display of feeling
  4. a sudden, forceful action; spurt a burst of speed
  5. a volley of shots, or a single series of shots from an automatic firearm

Etymology: ME burst, brist, a damage, defect, injury < OE byrst, loss

burst Synonyms

burst

n.

  1. An act or result of bursting

    blowout, rupture, blast, blowup; see blowout 1, explosion 1.

  2. A sudden spurt

    rush, outburst, spate; see fit 2.

  3. A volley

    salvo, round, discharge; see fire 2, volley.

burst Synonyms

burst

v.

  1. To explode

    blow up, rupture, shatter, fly apart; see break 2, 3, disintegrate 1, explode 1.

  2. To break

    crack, split, fracture; see break 1, destroy 1.

  3. To puncture

    pierce, prick, perforate; see penetrate 1.

burst Usage Examples

Object

  • bubble: Have a long bath with bubbles in the morning; she enjoys bursting the bubbles with her tongue.

Preposition: at

  • seam: And by now there was a whole new wave of Brighton bands and punk venues, which were bursting at the seams.

Preposition: into

  • tear: N bursts into tears & N isn't too happy, oddly enough.
  • flame: On her second day at school, one of her cursed subjects bursts into flames.
  • laughter: In spite of my dangerous circumstances, I was near bursting into laughter.
  • applause: The parent's half of the room burst into spontaneous applause; ' Yes!
  • bloom: In the spring, as flowers burst into bloom, they fill the air with pollen.

Adjective modifier

  • sudden: There was a sudden burst of gas from a side working in the five-feet seam.
  • staccato: A short staccato burst from the bass is followed by vocals and percussion heralding the song in.

Modifies a noun

  • pipe: I would have hoped your tenants would be sensible enough not to want burst pipes damaging their goods.
  • eardrum: On returning home he attended Whipps Cross Hospital where a burst eardrum was diagnosed.

Noun used with modifier

  • gamma-ray: No such obstacle is present in the gamma-ray burst case, where no dominant model exists.
  • gamma: The group is part of the EU gamma ray burst network.
  • bubble: And when a bubble bursts, prices often plunge far beyond what looks like fair value.
  • ray: The group is part of the EU gamma ray burst network.
  • dotcom: And since the dotcom bubble burst, itâs been getting harder than ever.

Preposition: of

  • laughter: Through bursts of laughter, even the university students learned from the elementary students.
  • applause: A minute later, there was another burst of applause.
  • bubble: Certainly one of the most interesting and dynamic companies to survive the bursting of the dot-com bubble is Google.
  • fragrance: Scratch ' em and sniff ' em for a burst of fragrance!
burst Quotes

Then washed in the brightness of this vision, I saw how in its radiance would grow and be nourished and suddenly burst into terrible and splendid bloom the blood-red flower of revolution.

—Randall, Dudley

Browse dictionary entries near burst

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  5. bursary
  6. bursar
  7. bursa
  8. burry
  9. burrstone
  10. burrowing owl
  1. burst in
  2. burst into tears
  3. burst tolerance
  4. bursting
  5. bursty transmission
  6. burthen
  7. burton
  8. Buru
  9. Burundi
  10. burweed